A note: Throughout this
segment there are many instances where the terms “bar mitzvah” and “bat mitzvah”
are interchangeable. In sections where gender doesn’t matter, the sentences will
open with a reference to “bar or bat mitzvah.” Following this, bar and bat will
be used interchangeably.

Bar and Bat Mitzvah:
Literal Meaning

Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov, author of
The Jew and His Home, points out that the words “bar mitzvah” and “bat
mitzvah” mean “son of the commandment” and “daughter of the commandment”
respectively. To be the son or daughter of the commandments is a positive state.
The opposite of this is to be a “ba’al aveirah,” and the word “ba’al”
means “husband.”

A Jew’s relationship to the word of God as embodied
by the mitzvot unbreakable, like the everlasting bond between parent and
child. But divorcing from the bond of sin is possible and praiseworthy.

Though the celebration of this rite of passage is
based on the concept of a Jewish boy and girl transitioning from childhood to
young adulthood, it is perceived somewhat differently by the many streams in
Judaism.

Mazornet/Jewish Celebrations is happy to include
information and resources regarding the meaning, the history, the rituals,
customs, conventions, and practices of celebrating a Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah
prevalent in the three main Jewish denominations: Orthodox, Conservative, and
Reform. Mazal Tov and Enjoy!